Police are investigating a series of “hot prowl” burglaries in the Silver Lake and East Hollywood neighborhoods, including one in which a woman was sexually assaulted in her own bedroom.
It’s not clear exactly how many break-ins happened overnight in the two areas, but residents told Eyewitness News they were aware of at least three in the same neighborhood on Manzanita Street.
One victim told Eyewitness News he woke up in his home around 1 a.m. and found a man standing his hallway, wearing his sweatshirt.
The adrenaline kicked in and he chased the intruder off. It appeared the suspect had used a crow bar to pry open the windows to his home to enter.
When he called police, they responded quickly because they were already in the area for a similar call just a block away.
Police say in one of the incidents, a woman was sexually assaulted while she was sleeping in her bed.
The incidents have residents in the area concerned.
“This is my home so naturally it makes me question the safety of my neighborhood,” said local resident Kom Dwani. “Overall I feel pretty safe. I walk around all the time. I walk around with my pretty large dog, so I feel comfortable. But when things like this are happening, it gives me a moment of pause, for sure.”
It’s also not clear if the home invasions were linked and how many suspects were involved.
Police are reminding the public to take precautions at their homes, including locking all doors and windows, installing exterior lighting and keeping an eye out for suspicious people.
